Writer. Teacher. Potter. VisDare Creator.

‘Tis the first workday of the new year, and with it the task of easing back into everyday “normalcy”. In terms of this blog, “normalcy” means looking ahead to the next several months, and shaping up the direction of where I go from here.

I intend, of course, to continue my usual posts on all things connected with writing, as well as the Agent Tweets series that debuted last week. But with the recent success of several writer friends, I also see where this blog will become much more active in promoting writers whose work I admire highly. Today, I would like to acquaint you with three writers whose recent successes deserve a wider audience.

(NOTE: Names are hyperlinked to their Twitter page – follow them if you haven’t already!)

The Sauder Diaries: By Any Other Name

Michel R. Vaillancourt – Through the wonders of Twitter, I came across Michel’s name and his steampunk novel, The Sauder Diaries: By Any Other Name, recently published through Trestle Press. I’ve tried the steampunk genre before, but really wasn’t sold on it, as I couldn’t find anything that really grabbed me. All that changed when I downloaded The Sauder Diaries on a whim and devoured it over Christmas – as in, stayed-up-till-4am-and-lost-precious-sleep-because-the-book-wouldn’t-let-me-go, kind of devouring. Rest assured, I will post a detailed five-star review of this book here in the very near future.Check out Michel’s pirate-infused steampunk world for yourself on Amazon’s Kindle menu, or on the Barnes & Noble website. The $5 price tag is very generous – it is worth far more than that. You can also visit his fan page on Facebook and his official website at http://michelrvaillancourt.com/.

His Own Good Sword

Amanda McCrina – I’ve been privileged to know Amanda personally for many years. We frequently meet at the local coffeehouse to talk books, writing, and publishing, so I was ecstatic when she called me up a few weeks ago to say she had been offered a book contract with Winter Goose Publishing. Her novel, His Own Good Sword, is set in an alternate antiquity and follows a young nobleman whose integrity exiles him to a violent outpost on the borders of his empire. Set to publish in May, this is a richly textured narrative rooted in a deep love and intricate familiarity with the ancient world. Since I was fortunate enough to be a beta reader for this novel, you can expect me to serve up a detailed pre-launch review on this one as well. In the meantime, check out Amanda’s blog, Fly Casual and extend your congratulations on her big announcement!

Goddess of Death ~ Man’s Best Friend

John Hansen– Another literary cohort from Twitter, John is a high school student who is already making inroads in the publishing industry with the recent acceptance of an urban fantasy short “Goddess of Death” into Dark Light Anthology and horror short “Man’s Best Friend” to Untreed Reads. He also has a blog, which can be found here. Congratulations, John!